I signaled to my host to try to have the philosophers expound on some aspect of their knowledge. As a good friend he immediately rose to the occasion. I won't go into the conversation that accompanied his request, and the difference between the comic and the serious was too slight to translate.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- The speaker asked for philosophers to explain their knowledge but found the line between serious and comic speech too slight to translate.
- In plain terms
- I asked philosophers to speak, but their serious and funny talk were too similar to translate.
- What can you take from it?
- Philosophical discourse often blends humor and seriousness confusingly.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How do you tell serious talk from jokes?
- What makes translation hard?
Another view
It assumes humor obscures meaning more than it clarifies.
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